


Carnevale

by Da_Vinci_101 (Metonic_Cycle)



Series: Only a Bird [6]
Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Antonio ships Lezio hard, But it doesn't go as hoped, First Kiss, Hurt No Comfort, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Pre-Relationship, Still no happy endings yet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:01:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28405938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Metonic_Cycle/pseuds/Da_Vinci_101
Summary: “He loved me?” Ezio murmurs numbly, his lips echoing his thoughts. “He loved me- and hestillloves me??”Antonio snorts and pokes the other man in the chest with his finger. “See, I told you. You are trulyblinderthan abat.”“Merda…Antonio…” Ezio shakes his head slowly. “It’s too late.Iam too late. Even if he does love me… I already hurt him. I hurt him so badly, Antonio- I... I cannot fix it.”“Here is my solution.Kisshim.”
Relationships: Ezio Auditore da Firenze & Leonardo da Vinci, Ezio Auditore da Firenze/Leonardo da Vinci
Series: Only a Bird [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2067156
Comments: 10
Kudos: 35





	Carnevale

Ezio used to hate Venezia because of the smell- the horrible smell that wafts up from the city’s many canals, dispersing to cover the city in an invisible stench that seeps _everywhere_. The alleys, the insides of the buildings, and so forth. Now he hates the city for an entirely different reason.

That reason being this blasted Carnevale.

Being chased by a minstrel every now and then is bad enough on its own. But three? _Three??_ And in even more tasteless costumes than usual, to boot! Ezio has never scrambled up a wall so fast in his life. He seems to remember “accidentally” kicking one in the face while climbing, but he’s honestly in far too much of a hurry to actually care. He hoists himself up onto the roof, sighing in relief.

The _assassino_ begins leaping from rooftop to rooftop, the fog washing over his mental map of the city finally fading away as his memory becomes more clear.

Surprisingly, he has yet to encounter any archers.

Perhaps they had abandoned their posts to go celebrate? Nonetheless, Ezio is grateful for the lack of interruption as he skirts across the moonlit rooftops, his destination shining brightly in his mind. It’s not long before he’s dropping back down to the street, before he’s approaching the workshop door. Ezio lifts his fist to knock on the door, and hesitates.

What if Leonardo doesn’t want to see him?

What if Ezio’s screwed up their friendship so badly he…

The _assassino_ shakes his head quickly of the discouraging thoughts. He screwed up. That’s that. And now it’s up to him to fix it. So Ezio knocks on the door, the impact of his hand against the wood a tad bit lighter than normal- less firm and determined, more uncertain and… afraid.

“Coming!” Leonardo’s voice calls through the closed workshop door, and Ezio catches the sounds of books falling and some irritated cussing that grows a bit louder as the _artista_ reaches the door. The door swings open, and the pleasant smile on Leonardo’s face instantly dissolves into a scowl.

“Leonardo, I-”

Leonardo slams the door shut in Ezio’s face.

 _Cazzo,_ Ezio thinks. He knows that this isn’t going to be easy- he’s good at breaking things, at _ending_ things. He’s _not_ good at fixing them. But he has to try, if he has any hope of restoring his friendship with Leonardo. So he knocks on the door, a little more firmly this time, and calls the _artista’_ s name. “We need to talk!”

“Go away.”

“No. Not until we _talk.”_ This time Ezio doesn’t even receive a response. So he adds, “Either you open _questa fottuta porta_ right now, or I will break one of your windows and come in that way. We are _talking,_ whether you like it or not.”

There is a long moment of silence, and Ezio is just beginning to consider making good on his word and busting in through a window when the door finally opens. Leonardo’s scowl is still deep, and Ezio knows he’s the cause of it.

“Fine. Come in.” Leonardo steps to the side, allowing Ezio to walk in. The _assassino_ winces internally as he hears the door being slammed again. He turns, and sees Leonardo glaring at him, arms crossed over his chest.

Ezio pushes his hood down, the piece of cloth settling onto his shoulders silently. He takes a step towards Leonardo, ignoring the warning look the inventor’s giving him. He takes another step.

“Ezio, _don’t-”_

Before Leonardo can finish, Ezio is pulling him close, wrapping his arms around the other man’s body. Ezio buries his face in Leonardo’s shoulder, unaware of just how much his own body is shuddering with overwhelming emotion. “Leo- I- I’m so _sorry_ \- I- I am an _idiota_ \- this is _my_ fault-” Ezio can feel the _artista_ is as stiff as a wooden board in his arms, and that brings another violent shudder that wracks the _assassino’_ s body. “I should _not_ have treated you the way that I did- I had _no_ reason to do what I did-” His voice is cut off abruptly with a sob as all the feelings swirling painfully inside finally break free and reach the surface.

Ezio feels Leonardo’s hands settling on his shoulders, and for a moment he feels hopeful- that feeling dies as soon as he’s pushed away. His eyes flick upwards to meet that of his former best friend’s, and he sees… nothing. No sign of any emotion whatsoever. At least Leonardo’s scowl has disappeared- but that doesn’t bring back even a spark of hope in Ezio.

“I trust you are here because of the Carnevale?” Leonardo queries, even his voice lacking in feeling. “Because of the Dodge?”

“Leonardo,” Ezio begins, pleading.

The lines in Leonardo’s forehead crease slightly, but beyond that, he has no visible reaction. “While you have not been here in Venezia for quite some time, the city has not completely forgotten about you. There are still many wanted posters for you all over. Luckily, I have a mask you can wear to conceal your identity- we will want to do something about your robes as well. The mask will not do you any good if you are still dressed like that. We are about the same height, so perhaps…” The _artista_ trails off, pushing past Ezio and walking towards a large wooden chest nestled towards the back of the workshop.

Ezio’s breaths shorten. His thoughts are stuck, _trapped_ , like gears caught on something so strong that they aren’t able to move.

He’s really screwed it all up.

He’s screwed it up so badly, he sees now that there’s no fixing it. Ezio has already lost Leonardo, and there is nothing he can do about it. The cracks in his heart continue to spread, and every beat of his heart increasingly feels as if it’s driving a thousand tiny blades into the organ, shredding it, tearing it _apart_.

“Ezio?”

Ezio turns around to see Leonardo regarding him with something akin to concern, though it vanishes when their eyes meet.

“What is it?” Ezio asks, his voice now listless.

Leonardo really doesn’t want him now. Not anymore. Not after what Ezio had put him through. Claudia was right. Ezio is an idiot. And because he’s an idiot, it’s cost him his friendship with Leonardo.

“I have the mask, and here are some clothes as well for you to try on.” Leonardo lifts up the items in his arms for reference. “You can change upstairs, for some privacy.”

Ezio nods slowly, and takes the mask and the articles of clothing from the _artista_. _“Grazie,”_ the _assassino_ murmurs, unable to say anything more without potentially breaking down right here and now, before turning away and heading towards the stairs.

“And one more thing,” Leonardo calls to him.

Ezio stops, and turns his head to look at his former friend.

“Your hidden blade,” Leonardo goes on. “I have some modifications drawn up that I can install while you change.”

Ezio nods slowly, removing his bracer as best he can without dropping the items in his his arms and then handing the weapon over to the _artista_. Their fingers brush for a second, and when the physical contact ends, when cool air meets the _assassino_ ’s fingers once more, as if to emphasise the absence of Leonardo’s touch, Ezio’s heart cracks a little more.

He watches Leonardo shuffling to his worktable, and when the inventor looks up to see Ezio staring at him, the latter quickly turns around and walks to the stairs.

~~~~

Ezio steps through the open door into the bordello that Leonardo had told him Antonio would undoubtedly be- one belonging to a woman named Sister Teodora. He feels inexplicably uncomfortable here for some reason, and the answer as to _why_ remains frustratingly beyond Ezio’s reach.

This isn’t the first bordello he’s been too, after all.

Perhaps it’s because he’s walking around in Leonardo’s clothes, which- while he and the _artista_ were both about the same height- are still quite tight on his body considering how much muscle Ezio has. He tells himself that this is why he feels uncomfortable, and that there is nothing more to it.

Ezio knows it’s a lie.

Nonetheless, he pushes his feelings aside for the moment, in favour of focusing on the mission. He left all his weapons except for his hidden blades (which are currently covered by the silky green sleeves of his top) back at Leonardo’s workshop, as walking around the district in which the Carnevale is taking place with a bunch of weapons looped to his belt would certainly tip people off as to his true nature.

“Antonio, we need to talk.” Ezio removes his mask for a moment as the clearly intoxicated Antonio- who is sitting on a plushy couch in the corner- turns his attention away from the two courtesans who are practically in his lap and directs it to the disguised _assassino_ standing before him.

“Ezio! Ezio Auditore!” Antonio smiles as he points a finger towards the man in question- who is already putting his mask back on- and sloshes some of the liquid from the cup in his hand onto his lap. The thief turns his head to look at a woman standing off in the corner of the room and slurs, “Teodora, meet the most… ahem… _talented_ man in all of Venezia!”

 _Talented at leaving only pain and suffering in my wake,_ sì _\- I am clearly a_ professional _at doing that,_ Ezio thinks. He offers Sister Teodora small bow, chewing on his lower lip a bit as he tries and fails to think of what he should say.

Thankfully, Teodora is polite enough to say nothing about his silence, and Antonio is just too damn _drunk_ to notice.

“Come, Ezio!” Antonio calls to the _assassino_. “Join us- have a drink! Meet the ladies!”

Before Ezio can respond, a shrill scream of terror reaches his ears. It all happens so fast- the bordello door is already open, the wooden structure banging against the wall, and from the other, also-open entrance to the bordello, Ezio can hear sobbing as the young courtesan cradles the bloodied body of her friend.

“Butcher! _Murderer!_ He sliced Lucia- and only to steal her money!”

There is another round of sobbing, and Ezio grits his teeth. The _bastardo_ will not get away with this. Without so much as a word, he sprints out the door, chasing after the killer. It takes about a minute for him to catch up, but soon enough, Ezio can see the murderer running down the street ahead of him. The _assassino_ swings his arm up, the one with the modified hidden blade, and takes aim. With a flick of his wrist in the direction opposite to that of which he normally flicks it to extend his hidden blade, a thunderous boom crackles, and echoes, the sound waves bouncing off the road, off the buildings…

A small plume of smoke wafts from Ezio’s bracer.

His target slumps to the ground in a heap, having been killed instantly. The _assassino_ trudges up to his corpse and yanks free the money pouch tied to its belt. He glares down at the body for a moment before turning away and sprinting back to the bordello. The streets are deserted, thankfully, as most of the civilians were either occupied with the Carnevale, or they were in bed drunk and sleeping off the alcohol.

Ezio steps into the bordello, and sees that Lucia’s body has been moved to one of the two wood tables in the room. Three girls stand beside the table, crying softly. Sister Teodora rubs their backs gently, murmuring quietly. Antonio is pacing back and forth, rubbing his forehead with one hand while the other rests on his hip.

Teodora turns her gaze to Ezio. “He is dead?”

 _“Sì,”_ Ezio answers with a nod, setting the killer’s money pouch on the other table. “He is.” He focuses his gaze on Antonio, who has finally stopped pacing. “Antonio. I received your letter.”

“I thought as much,” Antonio replies with a tired sigh, turning to look the _assassino_. “I suppose you want to get down to business, then?” He starts walking to the other end of the room, waving for his colleagues to follow, and- once all three of them are standing in the corner- he continues, “Sister Teodora and I have a plan to get you into a private party that the Dodge is hosting later tonight.”

“You will need a golden mask in order to get in,” Teodora explains, drawing Ezio’s attention to her. “And before you think about _forging_ one, keep in mind that each golden mask is numbered. Fortunately, as Antonio said, we have a plan. We will enter you into the Games of Carnevale, which are taking place in the nearby district. If you are as talented as Antonio claims you are, you will be able to _win_ a golden mask.”

“Perhaps one of us should stay here with the girls,” Antonio suggests, his voice now lowered slightly in volume.

“I agree. I don’t feel particularly comfortable leaving them here after what happened to Lucia,” Teodora replies. “I will stay here, and you can escort Ezio to the competition.” When Antonio opens his mouth to protest, she adds, “Unlike me, you are clearly in no condition to fight at the moment. In fact, you are more likely to stab _yourself_ with your own dagger than anything else.”

 _“Bene,”_ Antonio mutters indignantly.

“We _will_ win that golden mask,” Ezio declares firmly. _I will not fail. Not again._

“See to it that you do.”

~~~~

The system behind which these Games of Carnevale are based on confused the hell out of Ezio- he can’t help but wonder what those who are running it would have to do if a competitor excels at say, three of the games, but fails at one. He tries not to think about it _too much_. He cannot afford to be distracted. Instead, he tries to focus on making sure that he’s the best at every game _period_.

He doesn’t know if he should be grateful or not for the fifteen-minute intermissions between each game- while it does give him some time to collect his thoughts and concoct a strategy in his mind for the next game, unfortunately Antonio- who’s been indulging himself in the alcohol available here at the Carnevale- is more intoxicated than usual, and blathers on and on about only _Dio_ knows what.

Ezio tunes him out.

At least, until the thief says something about Leonardo. That grabs Ezio’s attention instantly. “What about Leonardo?”

Antonio throws his arm over the _assassino’_ s shoulder, answering, “You’re as blind as a bat, Ezio. No, you are blinder than a bat. Is that even a word? ‘Blinder?’ Do you know, Ezio?”

“Antonio, _per favore_ , focus. Leonardo. What is it about Leonardo you are trying to say?”

“He draws you a lot,” Antonio slurs. “And I mean a _lot._ It’s no wonder he _never_ finishes a commission!” He shifts his position on the bench he and Ezio are sitting on, accidentally sloshing more alcohol from his glass onto his lap. The _assassino_ reaches for the cup and pulls it from the thief’s fingers.

“I think you have had enough, Antonio,” Ezio tells him firmly, deciding that at the moment, he really should focus on keeping his friend from drinking any more. “In fact, I think I should take you back to Sister Teodora’s before the next game starts-”

“Why?” Antonio pouts, glaring at Ezio’s wine glass-filled hand. “I am having a perfectly good time right here. Now, about your _ragazzo_ Leonardo-”

“My _what-??”_

“- he is heels over head for you.” The thief pauses, a frown now creasing his lips. “Wait. Or is it ‘head over heels?’ Bah, forget it- next time you see him, you should kiss him. Leonardo, I mean.”

Ezio looks away, at the nearby lantern post, as Antonio continues to babble. He’s glad that the thief is still sober enough to keep his voice low so no one can overhear what they’re talking about.

But does Antonio even realise what he’s saying right now?

Leonardo doesn’t feel that way about him…

Or _does_ he?

That day in Venezia, when they were standing outside his workshop, their arms still wrapped around each other… Leonardo had started to lean in. _He wanted to kiss me?_ Ezio’s breathing becomes short again. _He loved me._

_That’s why he left without saying a word…_

_“If I tell you, you will hate me. And even if I do not tell you, you will_ still _hate me.”_

“He loved me?” Ezio murmurs numbly, his lips echoing his thoughts. “He loved me- and he _still_ loves me??”

Antonio snorts and pokes the other man in the chest with his finger. “See, I told you. You are truly _blinder_ than a _bat.”_

 _“Merda…_ Antonio…” Ezio shakes his head slowly. “It’s too late. _I_ am too late. Even if he does love me… I already hurt him. I hurt him so badly, Antonio- I... I cannot fix it.”

“Here is my solution. _Kiss_ him.”

Ezio sighs, pulling away from Antonio and standing up. “It is nearly time for the next game. I must go if I am to win that golden mask.” He doesn’t wait for a reply, instead heading for the man who’s hosting the next game, setting down the half-empty glass of wine on a nearby table along the way.

~~~~

The Dodge is dead.

After a fiasco of which involved Ezio having to _steal_ the golden mask from the “winner” Dante Moro (even though Ezio had won the Games of Carnevale fair and square), the _assassino_ was able to get into the Dodge’s private party and thereby assassinate the host. Since he didn’t kill Dante when stealing the golden mask, the bodyguard showing up not long after Ezio’s arrival made things a tad bit more complicated.

Nonetheless, Ezio had still been able to carry out his mission.

He later returned to Sister Teodora’s to drop off Antonio and tell them the news. Teodora offered to let Ezio stay at the bordello, but he politely declined, stating that he needed to stop by Leonardo’s to retrieve his weapons and robes.

“Don’t forget to kiss him!” Antonio had shouted from the couch he was sprawled on.

Ezio just walked out after that- he hoped that Teodora would just chalk up the thief’s words as drunken ramblings and not take them too seriously. He doubted she would care even if she did take Antonio seriously, but still.

It’s not long before Ezio is standing outside Leonardo’s workshop door, his fist raised to knock. He hesitates a moment, and then forces himself to do it. The sooner he gets his things, the sooner he can return to Monteriggioni.

The sooner he can be alone again, just like before. The sooner he’ll be out of Leonardo’s life, for the better. He knows that if he kisses him, if he tries to insert himself back into the _artista’_ s life in _that_ way, he knows he _will_ screw it all up. Just like he did their friendship. And he can’t do that to the man he…

The man he _loves_.

He hears some shuffling and mutterings from inside the workshop and, finally, the door swings open.

Ezio’s eyes meet Leonardo’s, and in that instant, he changes his mind. “Ah, Ezio. I trust you took care of the- _mmph!”_ The _assassino_ grabs the other man’s face, cupping his cheeks as he presses his lips to those of the inventor’s. The kiss isn’t desperate or painful, but rather gentle and cautious. Ezio’s eyes slide shut as he takes in the soft warmth of Leonardo’s lips. They slot with his perfectly, as if this had always been meant to be. Perhaps it had. Perhaps it had always been meant to be.

His thoughts are cut short as he feels the _artista_ pulling away, breaking the kiss.

Ezio’s eyelids flutter open, and when he sees the impassive look on Leonardo’s face, his heart completely shatters. And that’s when it truly hits him, that he’s screwed things up between them so terribly that there is no fixing it.

_He doesn’t want me anymore._

“Your things are on my worktable,” Leonardo tells him in a hushed tone, his eyes fixed on the wall behind the _assassino_. “My door is open if you need me to decipher any more Codex pages.”

Ezio hears the unspoken words.

 _But forget about anything_ more _than that._

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally supposed to have a more bittersweet ending. As you can tell, I instead went the absolute heartbreaker route because I apparently am STILL not done making my boys suffer lmao 
> 
> I am clearly evil.


End file.
